5.43 C&P Set - Good News

1
Yesterday, Alf and Kay Andersen (Syncro with Audi 2.3) visited me on their way from Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road.
 
This morning, they went to Albins Off-Road gears in Ballarat and Alf rang me with the very welcome news that Albins are currently setting up to make 5.43 crownwheel and pinion sets.  Someone in Australia (don't know who yet) has ordered 10 sets and Albins will produce an additional number for stock.  They expect to have stock on the shelves by January.  Very good news indeed!
 
Australia can buy direct from Albins but the rest of the world has to go through a distributor in America.  Haven't got a price yet but my last conversation with Albins indicates a price well below the now non-available genuine VAG sets.
 
This is just one of many Syncro parts that are NLA from VAG and we are going to have to look after ourselves from here on.  I have been trying to get some sense out of the organization set up by VAG to supposedly ensure ongoing parts availability but got nowhere.  I asked a series of questions and got answers to totally different questions, so I don't think that we will ever get any support from them.
 
Les
 
 
2
Gday Les and ALL,

Very good news indeed Les and many thanks to Alf and Kay for their
discovery, a huge win/win for Oz syncros in particular.

To show our appreciation, support etc. and to let Albins know we are
"out there", seems to me a brief thank you email from each of us at this
happy time would make a lot of sense and positive PR between a local
supplier and its local syncro community.

Cheers.

Ken


--- In Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com, "Les Harris"
<leslieharris@...> wrote:
>
> Yesterday, Alf and Kay Andersen (Syncro with Audi 2.3) visited me on
their way from Adelaide via the Great Ocean Road.
>
> This morning, they went to Albins Off-Road gears in Ballarat and Alf
rang me with the very welcome news that Albins are currently setting up
to make 5.43 crownwheel and pinion sets. Someone in Australia (don't
know who yet) has ordered 10 sets and Albins will produce an additional
number for stock. They expect to have stock on the shelves by January.
Very good news indeed!
>
> Australia can buy direct from Albins but the rest of the world has to
go through a distributor in America. Haven't got a price yet but my last
conversation with Albins indicates a price well below the now
non-available genuine VAG sets.
>
> This is just one of many Syncro parts that are NLA from VAG and we are
going to have to look after ourselves from here on. I have been trying
to get some sense out of the organization set up by VAG to supposedly
ensure ongoing parts availability but got nowhere. I asked a series of
questions and got answers to totally different questions, so I don't
think that we will ever get any support from them.
>
> Les
>
3
Gday Ken and ALL,
 
Good thinking but I have had a lot of contact with Albins since early March when I needed a crownwheel and pinion set urgently and discovered that VAG were no longer making this ratio.  Their sales manager has been very helpful from the outset and was more than happy to tool up for this ratio, despite the fact that only Australia and South Africa  got it as standard.  I have asked them for a price so that I can publish it on our website for the benefit of anyone who might need a set in the future.
 
We are very fortunate that Albins is right here because the added cost of having to buy through their distributor and get it sent all the way back to Australia is quite a lot.  The South Africa Syncro owners are envious of the fact that we can but direct.  I have learned that there has been some  recent interest in the US for this ratio due to the fact that many US owners fit very big wheel/tyre sets, well beyond the capacity of their standard 4.86 diffs.  I hope that Albins do well with this ratio.
 
 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Ken
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 12:36 PM
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: 5.43 C&P Set - Good News


Gday Les and ALL,

Very good news indeed Les and many thanks to Alf and Kay for their
discovery, a huge win/win for Oz syncros in particular.

To show our appreciation, support etc. and to let Albins know we are
"out there", seems to me a brief thank you email from each of us at this
happy time would make a lot of sense and positive PR between a local
supplier and its local syncro community.

Cheers.

Ken


4
Thanks for the good news Les.

I think I managed to get one of the last crown wheel and pinion sets
available when mine went to pieces 2 years back. The mechanic said
they were getting sparse when he got it - but I thought he was having
a go at me.

He advised that even gears were now hard to get (and that was 2 years
ago) - I hope he was and is incorrect. It took him 3 weeks to get a
second gear.

Thanks again for your persistence with this issue - no doubt it
probably would not have happened without your work.

Cheers,

Scott



--- In Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com, "Les Harris"
<leslieharris@...> wrote:
>
> Gday Ken and ALL,
>
> Good thinking but I have had a lot of contact with Albins since
early March when I needed a crownwheel and pinion set urgently and
discovered that VAG were no longer making this ratio. Their sales
manager has been very helpful from the outset and was more than happy
to tool up for this ratio, despite the fact that only Australia and
South Africa got it as standard. I have asked them for a price so
that I can publish it on our website for the benefit of anyone who
might need a set in the future.
>
> We are very fortunate that Albins is right here because the added
cost of having to buy through their distributor and get it sent all
the way back to Australia is quite a lot. The South Africa Syncro
owners are envious of the fact that we can but direct. I have
learned that there has been some recent interest in the US for this
ratio due to the fact that many US owners fit very big wheel/tyre
sets, well beyond the capacity of their standard 4.86 diffs. I hope
that Albins do well with this ratio.
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Ken
> To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 12:36 PM
> Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: 5.43 C&P Set - Good News
>
>
>
> Gday Les and ALL,
>
> Very good news indeed Les and many thanks to Alf and Kay for their
> discovery, a huge win/win for Oz syncros in particular.
>
> To show our appreciation, support etc. and to let Albins know we
are
> "out there", seems to me a brief thank you email from each of us
at this
> happy time would make a lot of sense and positive PR between a
local
> supplier and its local syncro community.
>
> Cheers.
>
> Ken
>
5
Scott,
 
I found one set in VW Singapore (which is why I didn't have to go ahead with Albins in March) and two sets in VW South Africa; they were probably the very last.
 
When talking with Albins, I found that they make a lot of standard VW and Porsche gears for the US off-road racing market, which is apparently immense.  They send a container carrying 900 kg of gears to the US each week, according to their sales manager.
 
Prompted by your comment, I will check their production list to see what they make that would go in the Syncro box.
 
Les
 
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Scott
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 5:03 PM
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: 5.43 C&P Set - Good News

Thanks for the good news Les.

I think I managed to get one of the last crown wheel and pinion sets
available when mine went to pieces 2 years back. The mechanic said
they were getting sparse when he got it - but I thought he was having
a go at me.

He advised that even gears were now hard to get (and that was 2 years
ago) - I hope he was and is incorrect. It took him 3 weeks to get a
second gear.

Thanks again for your persistence with this issue - no doubt it
probably would not have happened without your work.

Cheers,

Scott

.

6
Thanks Les.

They are probably better parts that the OEM items anyway.

Cheers,

Scott


--- In Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com, "Les Harris"
<leslieharris@...> wrote:
>
> Scott,
>
> I found one set in VW Singapore (which is why I didn't have to go
ahead with Albins in March) and two sets in VW South Africa; they
were probably the very last.
>
> When talking with Albins, I found that they make a lot of standard
VW and Porsche gears for the US off-road racing market, which is
apparently immense. They send a container carrying 900 kg of gears
to the US each week, according to their sales manager.
>
> Prompted by your comment, I will check their production list to see
what they make that would go in the Syncro box.
>
> Les
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Scott
> To: Syncro_T3_Australia@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 5:03 PM
> Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: 5.43 C&P Set - Good News
>
>
> Thanks for the good news Les.
>
> I think I managed to get one of the last crown wheel and pinion
sets
> available when mine went to pieces 2 years back. The mechanic
said
> they were getting sparse when he got it - but I thought he was
having
> a go at me.
>
> He advised that even gears were now hard to get (and that was 2
years
> ago) - I hope he was and is incorrect. It took him 3 weeks to get
a
> second gear.
>
> Thanks again for your persistence with this issue - no doubt it
> probably would not have happened without your work.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Scott
>
>
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7
Scott,
 
I don't have direct experience but their parts have a very good reputation in the US amongst the off-road racing people.  Off-road racing would have to be the most extreme test of design and durability.
 
Les
 
 
----- Original Message -----
From: Scott
Sent: Monday, October 13, 2008 10:33 PM
Subject: [Syncro_T3_Australia] Re: 5.43 C&P Set - Good News

Thanks Les.

They are probably better parts that the OEM items anyway.

Cheers,

Scott

.

8
Hello Brian
Here is trip that the T5 can do Brian, or maybe all those Kombie to Kape people. Something a little further afield !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just a different Cape.





Bruce
9
Maybe for 2012?

Phill



> Alison & Bruce Black <royalb@aapt.net.au> wrote:
>
> Hello Brian
> Here is trip that the T5 can do Brian, or maybe
> all those Kombie to Kape people. Something a little further
> afield !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just a different Cape.
>
> http://jelga2africa08.blogspot.com/
>
>
>
>
> Bruce